Not Suryakumar Yadav Or Abhishek Sharma! AB De Villiers Names This India Star As 'Big Pivotal Player'

South African legend AB de Villiers has lavished praise on India all-rounder Hardik Pandya, calling him a “big pivotal player” for the Indian team in the upcoming T20 World Cup. On his YouTube channel, while analysing India’s squad composition, de Villiers emphasised the team’s depth and flexibility.

“There are a lot of players offering skill with both bat and ball so you can really play around with the balance of the squad,” he said on AB de Villiers 360.

“Abhishek Sharma upfront, Sanju Samson wicketkeeper. I noted no Rishabh Pant here, no Shubman Gill, no Yashasvi Jaiswal, no Jitesh Sharma, so those are the unlucky guys who missed out,” he added.

De Villiers, however, made it clear that Hardik Pandya is a standout figure. “Hardik will be the

big pivotal player. He’s the guy who can win you games with bat and bowl. He can bowl in any situation, he can bat anywhere in the line up,” he said.

The former Proteas captain went on to explain Hardik’s impact on opposition teams.

“When he walks out to bat, there’s a sense in the opposition like we need to get him out, we gonna lose the game if he bats for three or four overs,” de Villiers said.

“Same with the ball in hand, the minute he comes on, you feel like he has a golden arm and he might just break the partnership, so a great asset for Suryakumar (Yadav) to have in the team,” he added.

What Has Hardik Done?

Hardik’s recent performances have bolstered his reputation. In the ongoing domestic season, he demonstrated his explosive batting in the Vijay Hazare Trophy by scoring his maiden List A century. Representing Baroda against Vidarbha, Hardik smashed 133 off 92 balls, including eight fours and 11 sixes. In one over, he scored 34 runs, hitting five consecutive sixes before ending the over with a boundary.

He also had an impressive performance in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa, scoring 142 runs in three innings at an average of 71.00 and a blistering strike rate of 186.84, including two half-centuries.

(With inputs from Agencies)